Boarding the Train/The Ride Home

"Boarding the Train/The Ride Home" is a score piece that plays in the 2004 film, The Polar Express and is also featured as the third track on its score album. It is also the longest track on the album with a time of 8 minutes, 45 seconds.

The piece starts when the children are boarding the Polar Express for the return journey and getting their tickets punched for the second time. It continues onto the scenes in which Hero Boy discovers that he lost his silver bell and when the train stops at his and Billy'shouses and ends when Hero Boy goes upstairs to get back to bed.

Instrumental versions of the songs, "When Christmas Comes to Town", "Believe", and "The Polar Express" are featured. The score also features music similar to "Seeing is Believing", "Believe/Do You Believe in Ghosts/Approaching Flat Top Tunnel", and "Runaway Train/On the Ice/Ticket Punch/Saved by an Angel?".